The Mist
by Sar5ah
Summary: A strange mist envelops the Clan's territories. Soon, cats begin to get killed, and the Clans blame one another. But after four cats from each Clan realize that the mist is to blame, can they work together to rid the Clans of this evil?
1. Allegiances

The Mist

Allegiances

CLANS

ThunderClan

Leader: Stripedstar – black tom with white stripes

Deputy: Hawkfire – brown tom with fiery amber eyes

Medicine Cat: Mouseheart – small brown tom with bright blue eyes

Warriors: Cloudlight – long-haired white she-cat with golden paws

Rockwind – bulky grey tom | Apprentice: Fennelpaw

Sparrowpelt – brown tom with a white chest

Robinheart – brown she-cat with a red chest | Apprentice: Bumblepaw

Antscratch – red tom covered in scars

Snakewhisker – black tom with eerie yellow-green eyes

Apprentices: Bumblepaw – black tom with golden streaks

Fennelpaw – silver she-cat with dark grey spots

Queens: Leafwhisper – light brown she-cat with vivid green eyes, mother of Heatherkit, brown she-cat with pale blue eyes; Gorsekit, black tom with brown stripes.

Elders: Thorntooth – mottled brown tom with piercing amber eyes

WindClan

Leader: Cloudstar – white she-cat with black patches

Deputy: Tunnelfur – dark brown tom with yellow eyes

Medicine Cat: Thistlenose – grey she-cat with black speckles | Apprentice: Dewpaw

Warriors: Badgerleap – black tom with a white tail

Tinyleaf – small brown she-cat with kind, green eyes

Hailstorm – white tom with brown spots

Mudpelt – large brown tom | Apprentice: Streakpaw

Sunleaf – golden she-cat with green eyes

Rabbitfur – grey tom with a white tail

Apprentices: Dewpaw – light grey she-cat with white spots

Streakpaw – golden tom with long legs

Queens: Cherrycloud – light ginger she-cat with blue eyes, mother of Dawnkit, pale grey she-cat; Berrykit, light ginger tom; Frogkit, grey tom with ginger splotches.

Thornfur – black she-cat with brown paws, ears and a brown tipped tail

Elders: Lionscar – bulky golden tom

Tinyfoot – tiny white she-cat with grey streaks

ShadowClan

Leader: Featherstar – fluffy grey she-cat with blue eyes

Deputy: Rockscreech – dark grey tom with a loud, booming voice

Medicine Cat: Hollyfire – black she-cat with amber eyes

Warriors: Darkstreak – dark grey tom with black streaks | Apprentice: Sunpaw

Briarpelt – light ginger she-cat with black paws

Bloodclaw – red tom with long, sharp claws

Firethorn – black tom with ginger paws | Apprentice: Icepaw

Ivyfur – pale grey she-cat with white streaks and paws

Pinepelt – dark brown tom

Vinewhisker – pale brown tabby tom with green eyes

Apprentices: Sunpaw: ginger tabby she-cat

Icepaw: light grey tom

Queens: Shiningdawn – silver she-cat with green eyes, mother of Mousekit, brown tom; Stonekit, grey tom; Shimmerkit, silver she-cat.

Elders: Shadowpelt – grey tom with black patches

RiverClan

Leader: Ripplestar – grey tom with blue eyes

Deputy: Pebblestream – dark grey she-cat with a striped tail

Medicine Cat: Spottedberry – white she-cat with black spots

Warriors: Honeycloud – pale golden she-cat | Apprentice: Specklepaw

Puddletail – grey tom with a long tail | Apprentice: Redpaw

Frostfur – white tom with grey patches

Waterleaf – blue-grey she-cat with green eyes

Chestnutpelt – brown tom with lighter brown streaks | Apprentice: Fishpaw

Lilystem – pale grey she-cat with green eyes

Apprentices: Specklepaw – brown she-cat with black speckles

Redpaw – red tom with bright green eyes

Fishpaw – silver tom with blue eyes

Queens: Tinycloud – small white she-cat, mother of Hailkit, white tom; Sandkit, light brown tom; Wavekit, silver tom; Nightkit, black tom with white paws

Thornberry – black she-cat with brown paws and a brown chest

Elders: Jadepelt – black tom with green eyes

Grassfur – white she-cat with green eyes

Rockfall – grey tom with large paws

CATS OUTSIDE THE CLAN

Bramble – brown tom with dark brown patches

Thimble – tiny silver she-cat, mother of Lion, yellow tom; Shimmer, silver she-cat; Mouse, small brown tom


	2. Prologue

The Mist

Prologue: Bloodthirsty

The shadow of a cat padded through dark pine trees, a squirrel in it's jaws. It peered through the thick fog, unsure of where to head next. _The medicine cat had practically predicted this_, it thought, its eyes narrowing. _This fog is thicker than any I've ever seen._

It continued onward, now being guided by scent alone, even though it wasn't easy. Finally, it sighed, relieved. It had reached it's destination. It had finally reached...

...The lake?

It spat the squirrel on the ground. "This is a disgrace!" it growled. "I can't believe I can't find my way back to camp!" It dug a hole in the dirt by the lake, sighing, exasperated. "Well, I'm sure the fog will clear up in the morning. I could always spend the night... besides..." It glanced at the squirrel. "...I caught some food."

And that hadn't been easy, the cat recalled. It had stalked around the words since sunhigh, and it was well past midnight, now. The fog had only just arrived at sundown, but grew thicker with every heartbeat.

The cat closed it's eyes, sighing deeply. The nest in the ground wasn't as comfortable as the one back in the ShadowClan camp, but it would suffice for tonight.

Suddenly, it sat up straight. _What's that sound?_ It swivelled its head around, looking all around it. All it could see was fog. _Maybe I'm imagining things_, it thought, shaking aside the feeling of being watched. _All this fog is just making me antsy._

It placed its chin on it's paws, still nervously glancing around. _I was sure I..._

It heard the sound again. It's heart racing, it meowed loudly, "Who's there?"

The trickling of the lake on the shore was all that greeted it.

It tried louder this time. "I know you're there! Come out and face me!"

Something growled.

And it saw it.

In the ShadowClan camp, the medicine cat, Hollyfire sat up in her nest. She could have sworn she had heard something... She sniffed the air, her eyes narrowed. _The fog's come,_ she thought smugly. _Of course, I predicted this..._ But her victory was short lived, because she heard the sound again. It sounded almost like growling, a bloodthirsty, guttural growl.

Hollyfire shivered, her eyes widening. _What in the name of StarClan is that?_ She rose, and padded out of the den, quickly heading to the leader's den.

"Featherstar," Hollyfire hissed into the den of the thick tendrils of thorns. "Featherstar, are you awake?"

The leader's voice could be heard from inside, sighing. "Yes, Hollyfire, come in."

The medicine cat padded in swiftly. "I sense something is wrong," she mewed. "I heard this noise..." She shuddered at the memory.

Featherstar rolled her eyes. "You were awoken by a noise? Hollyfire, please, don't waste my time with idle fantasies."

"I'm serious," hissed Hollyfire. "It was a growl, an evil, bloodthirsty growl..."

"Are you sure it wasn't your belly?" Featherstar meowed more sympathetically. "After all, you've hardly had a break since Pinepelt broke his leg..."

"No! I'm sure of it!" snapped Hollyfire. Her leader didn't even flinch at the she-cat's harsh tone. "It was a loud, menacing-"

She was cut off by a loud, bloodcurdling, scream.

Hollyfire and Featherstar raced out of the leader's den. Hollyfire's heart was pumping fast, her blood on a boil.

"What in the name of..." Featherstar breathed. "That sounded like..." She trailed off.

"...a cat," Hollyfire affirmed. "A cat being murdered."

Some of the warriors padded out of the warriors den, groggy and yet alert, wondering what was going on.

The deputy, Rockscreech, bellowed for silence. "Tell us what's going on, Featherstar," he meowed in his rumbling voice.

"I'm not sure," she murmured. She turned to her deputy. "Quickly, send someone to tell me all who's still in the camp."

The deputy nodded and called out, "Firethorn, Darkstreak, check the dens. Make sure every cat is here and accounted for." He gestured to Firethorn with his tail. "Firethorn, check the warriors den and the apprentices den, and Darkstreak," he mewed, pointing at the warrior with his tail, "you check the nursery and the elders den. Hurry."

The two toms nodded and padded off.

The few remaining cats waited for the others return.

When they returned, Darkstreak meowed, "Shiningdawn and her kits are safe in the den, as is Shadowpelt."

"And Icepaw and Sunpaw are safe too," Firethorn added. "All the warriors are in the den, except..." He trailed off.

Featherstar's eyes narrowed. "Except for who? Who's not in the den?"

Darkstreak swallowed; Hollyfire could tell he was nervous. "Bloodclaw isn't here, Featherstar."

"I went hunting with him around sunhigh," Briairpelt quipped.

"I was on that hunting patrol too," Darkstreak mewed. His eyes narrowed. "When he didn't catch anything, he told me he'd come back once he did... but... I thought he had returned hours ago," he mumbled, bowing his head. "I...I should've gone looking for him!"

Featherstar placed her tail on his flank soothingly. "Be still, Darkstreak, it's not your fault." She turned to face the entrance to the camp, a wind buffeting her fur. The other cats turned to stare at the entrance as well.

"He'll be fine," Featherstar mewed.

Hollyfire wasn't so sure.

-

He was running, running in no particular direction. He panted, risking a glance behind him.

It was still chasing him!

He ordered his legs to carry him faster. Fire burned in his muscles, his blood boiled in his veins. His heart thudding, his breath came out in ragged pants, his lungs demanding air to fuel his body. He was as tired as anything, but if he paused, even for a split second...

He'd be done.

As he raced through the fog, he heard whatever was chasing him panting as well. But this pant was one of excitement, one of a predator rushing in for the kill. And he knew he was the prey.

And this piece of prey was running for his life.

His limbs ached, demanding a break. _Let us rest! _they screeched. _We won't get you very far in conditions like this!_

_I don't care,_ he snapped back mentally. _It's either ache or die._

His limbs, still weary, but no longer complaining, obeyed his command for movement.

He crossed a scent marker. He wasn't sure whose it was: ThunderClan or RiverClan. He had no idea where he was going, only that he had to get away, get as far away...

_Shoot! _He tripped over a root, rolling to a stop against a tree. Upside down, confused, disoriented, he looked around him wildly, searching for the thing that was chasing him. He didn't see it, maybe he had gotten away, gotten far, far away... but no. There it was, he could see it now. A dark shadow in the mist.

This wasn't fog anymore. It was an ominous mist. And it hid a killer.

The shadow seemed to pause, examining it's meal. Maybe even wondering what he'd taste like. _I have no where to run!_ He managed to right himself and get to his paws, shaking his ginger fur free off moss clumps. His eyes were as wide as the full moon, his heart as fast as a racing river.

The thing growled.

And Bloodclaw let out a bloodcurdling screech.


	3. Corpse

The Mist

Chapter 1: Corpse

"It's so misty out here," moaned Bumblepaw.

Cloudlight glanced at her friend's apprentice. "Don't worry Bumblepaw," she reassured. "It'll clear up by tomorrow."

Robinheart sniffed the air. "It's kind of hard to smell anything out here."  
>"It's probably the mist," Snakewhisker mewed. "It's making it hard to do <em>anything<em> out here."

Cloudlight nodded, agreeing with the black tom. The mist had started to form around sundown the day before. Thorntooth had told her it was a fog, but Cloudlight knew better. _There's never been any fog in the history of the Clans like this._

It was kind of eerie. The mist twirled around the cats paws as they stirred it up, but it clogged up the senses like mud might clog a rabbit warren after a rainstorm. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, having all sense taken away from you.

_Well, maybe not all sense_, Cloudlight thought as she replenished the scent markers by the even fainter WindClan border. _But it's still pretty hard to do anything out here._

Bumblepaw was mewling to his mentor when Cloudlight returned to the rest of the dawn patrol. "Can we go home now? I'm starving!"

Robinheart flicked her apprentice with her tail. "Don't you ever think about anything other than food?" she purred, amused.

Snakewhisker glared at the apprentice, unamused by his complaining. "Once we check the rest of the border, then we can head back, alright?"

Bumblepaw perked up. "Yeah, I can wait that long." He licked his lips. "There's this one rabbit that I _really_ want to have when we get back..."

The patrol continued down the stream that bordered WindClan, replenishing the scent markers when needed. As they neared the end, Bumblepaw meowed, "_Now_ can we head back?"

"Alright," growled Snakewhisker, stalking off into the bushes. "Stop nagging and get a move on, then."

The apprentice let out a triumphant meow and raced past the black tom.

"Be careful!" called Robinheart. "You might trip over something!"

"I won't!" called Bumblepaw ahead.

Cloudlight let out a small purr of amusement before falling in step with Robinheart. "So, when do you think Bumblepaw will be ready for his warriors ceremony?"

Robinheart thought a moment before replying, "Soon, I hope. I've almost run out of moves to teach him! And personally, I'm getting rather tired of getting blamed every time he gets into-"

Bumblepaw's cry was heard up ahead, loud and frightened.

The two she-cats shared an alarmed glance. Snakewhisker hissed and meowed, "Come on!", racing towards the sound of the apprentice's mews.

They found Bumblepaw, crouched low a few tail length's away from the thick roots of a tree, whimpering.

"What in the name of StarClan is wrong?" Robinheart mewed, a concerned look in her eye.

Bumblepaw pointed with his tail towards the tree roots.

Robinheart gasped, Snakewhisker growled, and Cloudlight felt like retching.

A mangled, bloody corpse lay in the roots. Ribs poked through half eaten flesh, meat was torn away from bones. Most of the corpse's insides were gone, devoured or tossed aside. Flies were just beginning to gather around the warm, moist body. Blood pooled around the carcass.

"Who would do this?" Cloudlight muttered.

"Whatever it was, I don't want to find out if it's still around," Snakewhisker growled. He nodded to Robinheart. "You take Bumblepaw back to camp. See if Mouseheart has something to calm him down a bit. Cloudlight, you and I need to take this... thing, " Snakewhisker continued, curling his lip, "back to the camp. Perhaps Stripedstar will know what to do. Come on."

Robinheart nodded and lead the scarred apprentice away from the sight of the mangled body, towards the camp. Cloudlight narrowed her eyes at the body and nudged her nose under it, pushing it until half of it rested on her shoulders. Snakewhisker carried the other half of the corpse on his shoulders, and the two carried the burden back to the camp.

-

As the two warriors carried the body into to the camp, Cloudlight noticed the other cats looking at them in distaste. And who could blame them? They were carrying a dead body on their shoulders, after all.

Hawkfire and Stripedstar padded out of the leader's den, lead by Robinheart. Hawkfire's initial reaction was one of utter disgust; Stripedstar's was much more cool and calculated.

"What happened?" the leader asked simply, as his deputy mumbled something about the body causing sickness.

Cloudlight let the body slip off of her shoulders, Snakwhisker copying the action. "We found this in our territory," Snakewhisker replied. "We don't know what happened to this body."

Mouseheart padded out of the medicine den, a look of concern on his face. "Bumblepaw told me about the body," he explained when he reached the group around the carcass. "I came out to see if I could identify it."

The medicine cat examined the corpse, undisturbed by the rotting flesh. His tail twitched, a sign Cloudlight recognized as him thinking. As she wondered how he wasn't totally disgusted by the stench, he meowed, "Oh, I recognize those claws."

Stripedstar leaned closer to the medicine cat. "Who is it?"

"It's a cat for sure," Mouseheart mewed. "And these claws could only belong to one warrior."

"Which one?" Hawkfire asked. He seemed to have gotten over his terror of the body.

"It's Bloodclaw," Mouseheart mumbled. "I remember his claws because Hollyfire was talking about how he had wrenched a claw at the last Gathering, and had called him over to show me so I could give her some advice."

"So this is Bloodclaw, hm?" Snakewhisker grumbled. "A ShadowClan cat. I'm amazed I didn't smell that sooner."

"Not that you could have," Cloudlight pointed out. "He smelled of death."

"Add the mist," Mouseheart continued, "and I'm surprised you could smell the death on him at all."

"So what do we do?" Cloudlight mewed, anxious to get rid of the body. The flies had begun to gather again.

"We need to bury the body," Stripedstar said slowly. "Once we've done that, we need to go to ShadowClan and tell them what happened."

"Go to ShadowClan? And have them accuse us of killing Bloodclaw?" Snakewhisker hissed. "Are you nuts?"

"That's your leader you're speaking to, Snakewhisker," growled Hawkfire. He stared the black tom down with his fiery eyes. "Show some respect for your leaders decisions."

"Enough of this, Hawkfire," grumbled Stripedstar. "Snakewhisker's right."

Snakewhisker glared at the deputy smugly. Cloudlight let out a small _mrrow_ of amusement.

"I think it would be wiser to take the body back to ShadowClan," Mouseheart meowed. "They need to bury their own dead."

The way Mouseheart said it made a shiver run down Cloudlight from ear-tip to tail-tip.

"Good idea," agreed the leader. "Hawkfire, take Robinheart, Cloudlight, and Snakewhisker to ShadowClan. They were the ones who found the body... maybe they can reassure Featherstar we weren't the ones who killed Bloodclaw."

"And the body?"

"Take it with you," meowed Stripedstar, padding towards his den slowly.

The deputy had one more question; "But what if they don't believe us?"

Stripedstar paused in the entrance to the den. He looked over his shoulder, his gaze grave.

"Then may StarClan help you," he murmured.


	4. Burial

The Mist

Chapter 2: Burial

Hollyfire was attending Pinepelt's leg when Firethorn yowled, "Intruders!"

She meowed to Pinepelt, "Excuse me," before padding out of the medicine den.

She smelled them before she saw them; ThunderClan cats who smelled like death and rotting flesh.

Hollyfire padded to stand beside the warriors as the ThunderClan cats placed a lump on the dirt ground, eyeing the ShadowClan cats warily. She recognized Snakewhisker and Hawkfire, although the other two cats were unfamiliar to her.

"We have brought you back a Clanmate," meowed Hawkfire.

Firethorn's claws flexed. "What, this lump of fur?"

Hollyfire stepped forward and sniffed the lump. It smelled of carrion, a sickening, rotting stench masked slightly by the ThunderClan scent and the mist.

Vinewhisker scented the body. Suddenly, his eyes widened in fear. "Great StarClan..." he mumbled. "..It's Bloodclaw."

The ShadowClan cats looked at Vinewhisker in horror, then at the body of their Clanmate.

Hollyfire bowed her head in sorrow. "Bloodclaw... what happened to you?"

The warriors sighed sadly, as if they now carried Bloodclaw's corpse on their shoulders.

"We found him in our territory," Hawkfire meowed. "He looked exactly like this, decomposed. Stripedstar told us to bring him back here, so he may be buried by his own Clan."

Featherstar padded into the circle of warriors, followed by Rockscreech. "What's going on?" Her eyes glazed over when she saw Bloodclaw's body. "Oh..."

"It's Bloodclaw," croaked Darkstreak. "That mangled corpse is Bloodclaw."

"And I bet I know who made him look like that," hissed Vinewhisker.

The other warriors nodded and unsheathed their claws.

Hawkfire and the other ThunderClan cats bristled. "No! You have this all wrong, we would never-"

"..._admit_ to doing such a crime!" snarled Firethorn. "_You_ were the ones who killed Bloodclaw!"

"We did no such thing!" snapped Snakewhisker. "Hawkfire already told you, we found Bloodclaw like this in our territory..."

"ENOUGH," screeched Featherstar, her fur brsitling. The cats were startled by how loud she screeched.

"Now, it doesn't matter who we _think_ killed Bloodclaw. What matters is who _did_ kill Bloodclaw." Her blue eyes burned. "I will _not_ have any of this fighting in my camp. And I certainly do not want blood spilled over someone who has already joined StarClan!"

Hollyfire admired Featherstar for the way she wouldn't handle any of this fox-dung.

Hawkfire nodded at the ShadowClan leader. "We wish the same, Featherstar. We only came here to return Bloodclaw to his Clan. We never came here to pick a fight," he added, glaring at Shankewhisker, who curled his lip and flexed his claws. Hawkfire turned to Featherstar and dipped his head. "We shall return home now."

"Safe travels," Featherstar murmured. "May StarClan guard over you."

The ThunderClan cats dipped their heads to the ShadowClan leader before padding out of the camp.

The warriors, disgruntled, closed the circle around Bloodclaw that the ThunderClan cats had broken when they left.

Hollyfire padded to Featherstar. "May I have a word?"

Featherstar nodded wearily. "Of course." She meowed to her deputy, "Rockscreech, clean Bloodclaw up as much as you can. I want him to look decent so the Shadowpelt doesn't drop dead when he sees him."

"There's some lavender in my den," added Hollyfire. "You can use it to mask the stench."

Rockscreech nodded. "Alright. Thanks." He padded off into the medicine den in search for the purple flower.

Featherstar lead Hollyfire into the leader's den. Her paws dragged, and she seemed tired. She settled down in her nest before gesturing to Hollyfire to make herself comfortable.

"What is it you wanted to speak to me about?" meowed Featherstar.

Hollyfire hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "Remember... last night, when I heard that... scream?"

"Yes?"

"I... I think I understand now," Hollyfire mumbled. "It was Bloodclaw. Bloodclaw was the one screaming."

"But why?" Featherstar asked, cocking her head to one side.

"I don't know," snapped Hollyfire. "If I knew, I would have told you, right?"

Featherstar nodded. "Yes..." She thought a moment before meowing, "But you said last night that it was the scream of a cat being murdered, right?"

Hollyfire bristled, remembering the events of the night before. "That's right, I did...?"

"So then Bloodclaw was killed for no reason," Featherstar mewed. "_He _was the one being murdered."

Hollyfire's eyes widened as big as an owlet's. "B-Bloodclaw was murdered?" she stuttered.

"Why else would he return home in multiple pieces?" Featherstar mewed, her tone grave. "There's no other explanation."

Hollyfire swallowed the lump forming in her throat. "You'd better tell the Clan then," she croaked. "They need to know."

Featherstar rose, nodding. She padded out of her den and stood in the centre of the clearing. She yowled an order Hollyfire had never heard before. "Let all cats who call themselves a member of ShadowClan gather around for a Clan meeting."

The warriors who were attending Bloodclaw's body pricked their ears, but continued their work. The apprentices bounded out of the den, excited. They were fully groomed. Shiningdawn ushered her kits outside so they could listen, and Shadowpelt poked his head out of the elders den.

"I have a very important announcement to make," Featherstar meowed when all the cats were attentive. "Our fellow Clanmate, Bloodclaw has been murdered."

A collective gasp rose from the Clan. Shiningdawn hurried her kits back inside, horrified. Hollyfire bowed her head sadly.

"This was no accident," Featherstar continued. "It was cold blooded murder. Therefore, accordingly, I am now telling you that no cat is to leave the camp without another cat with them. We don't know who or what killed Bloodclaw yet, but until we do, you _must_ go with another cat. Should you choose not to," Featherstar mewed, her voice dark, "then you should choose to die. As you were." She padded back inside her den, her eyes hooded.

Hollyfire shuddered. She gazed past the warriors as they finished up cleaning and preparing Bloodclaw to the entrance to the camp. Whatever was out there... whatever had killed Bloodclaw, she was going to find out.

The medicine cat padded through the mist as it leaked into the camp and returned to examine Pinepelt's leg.


	5. Sickness

The Mist

Chapter 3: Sickness

Streakpaw padded into camp, a large rabbit in his jaws. The thing was huge; it dragged along on the grasses of the moor, and on the dirt of the camp ground, slowing the young apprentice down. Even his long legs couldn't keep the rabbit from getting dusty. He placed it on the fresh kill pile, panting with the effort. Sighing, he picked up a squirrel and carried it into the nursery.

Thornfur raised her head as he entered the thorny den. Her eyes sparkled when she saw the squirrel. "Is that for me?" she asked.

Streakpaw nodded, placing it at the expectant queen's paws. "Yeah. I figured you'd be famished."

She purred. "I am," she agreed, licking him between his ears. "Thanks, Streakpaw."

He dipped his head, his eyes shining, and padded out of the nursery.

He bumped into Cherrycloud and her kits. Cherrycloud had a smaller rabbit in her jaws.

She placed it down and mewed, "Oh, hi Streakpaw. Did you just bring something to Thornfur?"

"Yeah, a squirrel," Streakpaw replied. He glanced at the rabbit. "I didn't know you went to get something..."

"It's fine. I'll just take this to the medicine cats." She added, "It's really okay, Streakpaw. Don't worry about it."

Streakpaw nodded. "Right."

Dawnkit padded up to his leg, her eyes wide. "Whoa," she mewed in awe. "You're big."

"Well, you're small," Streakpaw meowed, nudging the kit so she fell on her rump.

"No we're not!" squeaked Berrykit indignantly. "We're big strong warriors!"

"Yeah!" Frogkit agreed, jumping up and down. "We'll kick your butt!"

Cherrycloud narrowed her eyes. "Quiet kits. Go and play."

The kits squeaked happily and raced off.

"Don't disturb the elders!" she called after them. Sighing, she picked up the rabbit.

Streakpaw stepped forward. "I'll take that," he offered.

The queen nodded gratefully, placing the rabbit on the ground. Streakpaw picked it up and watched as Cherrycloud yawned. "Thanks, Streakpaw. I'll be in the nursery." She padded past him, probably going for a nap.

Streakpaw carried the rabbit to the medicine cat den, a dip in the ground leading into a large crevice, where the herbs were stored.

The medicine cat apprentice, Dewpaw, was sorting herbs when he arrived. She glanced up and mewed curtly, "Just put that over there, Streakpaw. Thanks."

He did as he was told, then sat down, his tail curled over his paws. "Where's Thistlenose?"

"Gathering marigold," answered the grey she-cat. "She'll be back in a while."

"Oh..." Streakpaw wanted to talk more with his friend, but heard a loud, sickening cough from behind the apprentice. He peered over Dewpaw's shoulder to see Lionscar wheezing. The normally powerful looking elder looked withered and wasted away.

Eyes wide, Streakpaw asked, "What happened to Lionscar?"

Dewpaw glanced at Streakpaw indifferently. "Dunno. We're not sure yet, but it's not greencough."

"Does anyone else have it?"

"As of yet, no. But I'm positive it won't be long until someone else gets it."

Streakpaw curled his lip. "Ew. I hope I don't get it."

"I may be sick, but I still have ears," snapped the elder. He let out a loud wheeze, his eyes widening. Streakpaw could see they were bloodshot, from the sickness or lack of sleep.

"Quiet you," growled Dewpaw. She padded into the crevice and reappeared with a honey comb on a leaf. She placed it in front of Lionscar. "Have some of this. It'll help soothe your throat."

Streakpaw watched on worriedly at the elder. "Will he be okay?"

Dewpaw turned back to her herb sorting. "Streakpaw, don't worry about it. Worrying won't accomplish anything."

He flinched at her tone. "Alright..." He turned to go see if Mudpelt had anything for him to do, then meowed over his shoulder, "See you later, Dewpaw."

"Hm."

He padded to the centre of the camp, where Cloudstar would announce news. Tunnelfur was sitting there with Rabbitfur and Mudpelt, as well as Cloudstar.

"That's what I heard anyways," Rabbitfur was saying to the others.

"Did they mention who it was they found?" Tunnelfur asked.

"No, but they found the body in a pool of blood."

"You said that already," growled Mudpelt.

Cloudstar shook her head sadly. "Whoever it was, may they walk the path to StarClan."

The others nodded.

Streakpaw padded up to them. "What's going on?"

"ThunderClan cats found a body this morning," reported Mudpelt. "Rabbitfur here was on patrol when he heard ThunderClan cats on the other side of the border talking about it."

"He described everything," added Tunnelfur, curling his lip.

"It's none of your concern though," Cloudstar mewed fondly. "You need not worry."

Streakpaw nodded, then asked, "Is there anything you need me to do?"

Mudpelt thought a moment, then mewed with a twinkle in his eye, "Well, the elder's den needs some fresh moss..."

Streakpaw groaned, then mewed, "Alright..." He padded out of the camp, his mentor purring behind him.

-

They returned with jaws filled with moss. Streakpaw had even brought a ball of moss for the kits to play with. He and Mudpelt padded into the elders den, where Tinyfoot was asleep.

As Streakpaw dropped his moss on the floor of the den, Mudpelt prodded Tinyfoot gently with his paw. "Tinyfoot, we're here to give you some fresh bedding."

The kind elder raised her head, her jaws parting with a huge yawn. "Oh, how kind. Thank you, Mudpelt, Streakpaw."

She rose and padded out of the den, mewing, "I'll go see Lionscar while you two freshen up the den."

"Thanks, Tinyfoot," Streakpaw meowed.

"Well, let's get to it then," Mudpelt grumbled. "This bedding isn't going to get fixed up on its own."

-

After what felt like forever, Streakpaw and Mudpelt finished pulling out the old moss and placing the new moss in the den. Tired and hungry, Streakpaw's eyes drooped, threatening to close. He felt like there were rocks in his eyelids.

"Good job," Mudpelt mewed. "Go ahead and get something to eat, then head to bed. You look like you need the rest." He smirked.

Streakpaw nodded slowly, then remembered the ball of moss he had gotten for the kits. He sighed and picked it up from where he had left it outside the den. Padding to the nursery with heavy paws, he passed Tinyfoot, who thanked him, and Thistlenose, who was returning from her marigold hunting. He paused long enough to talk to her.

"Did you find your marigold?" he asked.

"Yes, thanks for asking," Thistlenose purred. She gestured to the pile of herbs that she had put down with her tail. "I've got enough for a moon, if not longer."

"That's great to hear." Remembering Lionscar's wheezing, Streakpaw asked, "How's Lionscar? Do you know what's wrong with him?"

"No, but I wish I did." Thistlenose's eyes narrowed. "If I did, I could treat him better."

"Well, if you find out what's wrong, could you tell me?"

"I'll keep you updated, Streakpaw."

"Thanks."

The cats parted ways, Thistlenose hurrying to the medicine den, Streakpaw to the nursery.

As he neared it, he called out, "Dawnkit, Berrykit, Frogkit! I brought you a ball of moss!"

Expecting the kits to tumble out any moment, Streakpaw was surprised when Thornfur padded out instead.

"Thornfur? What's wrong?"

"I think you should come and see," she mewed, her eyes sad. She lead him into the nursery.

He gasped, the ball of moss dropping out of his jaws.

The kits were lying motionless on the ground of the nursery. He could barely tell they were the same kits he had seen not that long ago.

They were mangled, bloody corpses now.

* * *

><p><p>

**Well, that's it for this chapter. Sorry for such a long wait D: Was busy this holiday. I continue to thank you all for your reviews and faves! It makes little ol' me happy :)**

**Expect the next update soon! I hate leaving such large cliffhangers at the end of these chapters. It makes me want to write more!**


	6. Closer

The Mist

Chapter 4: Closer

Redpaw flashed his paw into the water, sending droplets all over Puddletail, who spluttered. To top it all off, he missed the fish he was attempting to catch.

"Fox-dung!" the red apprentice cursed, spitting into the reeds.

Puddletail shook his fur, ridding it of the droplets his apprentice had sent all over him "Don't worry about it, there's more upstream."

"But I almost caught that one!" Redpaw moaned. He sighed shaking his head. "What went wrong?"

"You must have cast a shadow over the water," Puddletail mewed.

"How? It's so misty out here..."

"Shadows fall through even mist, Redpaw," Puddletail reassured.

"Well, okay. Can I try again?"

Puddletail nodded. "Alright. Let's try upstream."

The two cats padded side by side down the stream, slowly, in no rush. Puddletail fluffed up his fur against the cool moisture of the mist. Droplets clung to his whiskers, and he shook them off with a snort. _This mist is annoying,_ he thought as he nearly lost his balance, one paw plopping into a puddle of mud. Luckily, Redpaw didn't notice. _I can't see hardly anything out here!_

Redpaw bounded forward, landing in front of the water. He eyed the sky, which only held a glimmer of the sun; for the most part, the mist made it gloomy. It was closer to sunset than before, a few hours past sunhigh, maybe.

Puddletail pointed at the water with the long tail that he got his name from. "Okay, now try again. Remember not to cast a shadow."

The apprentice nodded, his whiskers quivering.

A few moments paused, then Redpaw's paw shot into the water; with a splash, a fish flopped on the ground. Puddletail beat the apprentice to killing it with a swift bite.

"Good job!" Puddletail congratulated. "See how much more effective that method is?"

"Yeah," Redpaw purred. "And look how big the fish is!" He puffed his chest out in pride.

"Now, don't boast to your brother," Puddletail gently reminded. "It's not exactly polite."

"Yeah, yeah, I won't," Redpaw dismissed with a flick of his tail. He picked up the fish in his jaws and the two padded back to the camp.

As they entered, Puddletail knew something was wrong. There was an extra scent, other than the usual RiverClan scent. It didn't smell like a Clan smell...

Redpaw got it sooner than he did; "Rouges," he growled around the fish.

They continued inside, Redpaw padding off to put the fish on the fresh kill pile, Puddletail padding towards the group in the centre of the camp.

Ripplestar, and the deputy Pebblestream, sat side by side, facing the rouges. Behind the rouges were Chesnutpelt and Fishpaw, as well as Lilystem.

"I'm sorry, Bramble," Ripplestar mewed. "But we cannot help you here."

"Try WindClan," Chesnutpelt growled, his lip curled.

"What's going on?" Puddletail asked. He looked at the scrawny rouges before him. "Who's this?"

"I'm Bramble," meowed a brown tom. He gestured with his tail to a silver she-cat and three little lumps that were gathered around her paws. "This is my mate, Thimble, and our kits, Lion, Shimmer, and Mouse." He shuffled his paws. "We... The mist has harmed many of the rouges in the area. We were scared for our lives, so we came here, looking for refuge."

"It's all we want," Thimble added. She glanced at Chesnutpelt. "We don't mean any harm."

Puddletail felt sorry for the rouges. "We can't offer them anything, Ripplestar?"

The leader shook his head. "No. We have enough mouths to feed, we don't need any more." He added, "Although I wish I could help, there's nothing I can do."

Bramble dipped his head. "Thank you, though, for considering us." He turned to his family sadly. "Come on kits, let's head home."

"But Papa!" cried a small golden tom. "The mist'll eat us!"

"Yeah! Down to our bones!" added a silver she-cat.

A brown tom mewed, "And then it'll eat the barn!"

The kits shuddered.

Thimble shook her head and picked up the silver she-cat. "Quiet, Shimmer. You two Lion, Mouse. I don't want to hear any more of this mist. Now do as your father says, and let's go home."

Bramble picked up Mouse, much to the kits distaste. They dipped their heads slightly to Ripplestar before padding out of the camp, their tails drooped.

"What in the name of StarClan was that all about?" Puddletail blurted as soon as the rouges had left. "What did they mean about the mist?"

"They kept rambling on about how it had killed cats in their area," Pebblestream mewed. "I doubt that water droplets can kill anyone though."

"I don't know." Lilystem sounded worried. "The way they described it, it sounded very bad."

"Oh fox-dung," spat Chesnutpelt. "It was all kit tales."

Lilystem didn't look convinced.

Ripplestar sighed. "It doesn't concern us. As long as this killing doesn't occur to anyone in the Clans, we have nothing to worry about. Now, return to your duties." He padded off into his den.

Pebblestream assigned Chesnutpelt, Lilystem, and Fishpaw to a hunting patrol. "And Puddleail," she mewed as the others padded off. "You deserve some rest. Training Redpaw looks like hard work," she purred.

He nodded. "Oh, it is, trust me." He padded past her, brushing his tail against her flank. "Thanks Pebblestream."

She nodded. "No problem."

Puddletail padded into the warriors den. Waterleaf was curled up in her nest, sound asleep. He sighed and took the nest beside her, seeking warmth. As he closed his eyes, he couldn't help but realize something.

The mist had slowly begun to creep closer.


	7. Kits

The Mist

Chapter 5: Kits

Streakpaw's jaws remained open as he stared at the bodies of the lifeless kits.

"How-" he began, but was cut off by a lump forming in his throat. He forced himself to swallow, then tried again. "How did...this happen?" He bent down and nosed Berrykit softly. _They were so young..._

Cherrycloud's eyes were glazed with pain. She, too, was speechless.

Thornfur filled in for her. "I don't know. Cherrycloud went out to find them after they'd been gone for awhile, and she found them outside the camp like this." She shuddered as she gestured to the kits with a paw.

"I... I wasn't watching them!" wailed Cherrycloud suddenly. "It's my fault they're dead! If I was there... I... I..."

"Sweet, it's not your fault," soothed Thornfur. She rubbed against her friend. "Please don't blame yourself."

"B...but if I was there..."

"We don't know what killed them, Cherrycloud. Perhaps it was so strong, even you couldn't stop it." Thornfur looked at the kits solemnly. "They're in the paws of StarClan now. They are at peace."

"I...I suppose..." Cherrycloud mumbled. Her voice was drenched in sorrow.

"Did you tell Rabbitfur?" asked Streakpaw. He didn't know what else he could have said. _Besides, _he thought_, Rabbitfur should know. He was their father, after all._

Cherrycloud shook her head. "No... I thought it would be too painful for him." She sighed sadly. "He loved those kits to death..."

"Do you want me to tell him?" Streakpaw offered.

"No. It's best I do it," Cherrycloud mewed firmly. "He deserves at least that." She padded out of the den, her tail drooped.

Thornfur glanced at the kits, then back at Streakpaw. "Streakpaw, would you go ask Thistlenose for some lavender? I need to prepare the kits for burial."

Streakpaw nodded numbly, backing out of the den, his gaze fixed on the kits.

_This isn't fair,_ Streakpaw thought as he padded slowly to the medicine den. _Those kits had dreams... Frogkit wanted to be deputy, Berrykit leader... and Dawnkit told me she'd be the first to heal my wounds._ He shook his head, scattering the kits words like leaves on the wind.

He stumbled into the dip in the ground, where Thistlenose was eating a mouse. Dewpaw was nowhere to be found.

"Oh, hullo, Streakpaw," Thistlenose purred. She noticed his expression and her gaze darkened. "What's going on? Did something happen to you?"

"N... not me," he stuttered. "T-the kits..."

Thistlenose's eyes narrowed. "What about them? Are they sick? Do they have what Lionscar has?"

"No." _And they never will._ He swallowed. "They're dead."

"They're what?" Thistlenose asked. Her eyes shone with confusion.

"Dead. I said they're dead."

As he finished mewing "dead", a wail came from across the camp. He whipped around to see Rabbitfur and Cherrycloud together, the grey tom bent over, as if someone had just dealt a blow to his belly. Cherrycloud was murmuring something to her mate, but Rabbitfur wasn't listening. He just shook his head at every word.

Sighing, Streakpaw turned back to Thistlenose. "That's why I cam here."

The medicine cat nodded and rose. She hurried into her den, returning with lavender, a herb that shouldn't be familiar to anyone. "Here," she mewed, placing the purple flowers on the ground. Streakpaw picked them up. "I think I'll go condolence the kits parents." Her gaze shot past Streakpaw at the mourning mother and father. He nodded and she brushed past him.

Streakpaw padded back to the nursery to find Thornfur cleaning the kits with her tongue, to clear the blood. He placed the lavender at her paws, and she looked up with a start.

"Oh! Streakpaw! You startled me..." She sighed. "I'm kind of on edge, especially because of-" Her words stopped in her throat, then she let out a shattering screech.

Streakpaw jumped back, nearly smashing into Thistlenose, who had an expression of disgust plastered on her face. "Of all the times..." mewed Thistlenose. "Alright, Thornfur. Relax." She whipped around to face Streakpaw. "Streakpaw, help calm her down, get her comfortable. I'll be right back." As quick as she entered, she raced out.

Streakpaw did as he was told, leading the birthing queen to the corner of the nursery.

She was panting, out of breath, when she was finally settled. "S...streakpaw?"

He nodded. "Yes? What do you need?"

"G-go get Hailstorm... hurry..."

Streakpaw mewed, "Okay. Be right back," hastily before dashing out of the den.

He hurried to the warriors den at a sprint. Poking his nose over the lip of the huge hollowed out spot, he mewed, "Hailstorm? Are you here?"

Badgerleap raised his head. He blinked his eyes sleepily. "Streakpaw? Is that you?"

"Yes. Is Hailstorm here?"

"Yeah why?"

"Thornfur's giving birth."

Startled, the black tom shook a lump of white fur awake. "Hailstorm, you lazy lump!" he spat. "You're kits are coming and all you can do is sleep?"

The white tom rolled over, jaws parting in a yawn. "Kits? What kits?" he mewed.

"Yours!" cried Streakpaw. "Thornfur's giving birth!"

At the mention of Thornfur and "birth", Hailstorm leaped to his paws, dashing over the lip of the den, nearly toppling Streakpaw over. The young apprentice regained his composure and chased after the white tom, who had beat him to the nursery.  
>They were welcomed by a loud screech from Thornfur.<p>

"Sh, quiet now," Hailstorm mewed, padding to sit behind Thornfur. "It's going to be okay."

The queen turned to her mate, her eyes glazed over with pain, her breathing laboured. "H-hailstorm? I'm s-so glad you're here..." She yelped as her body was racked with another contraction. Her voice shook as she spoke. "I...I'm so scared..." She buried her nose in her mates long white fur.

"Shh," he soothed, licking her head. "This is nothing. You're strong. You can do it."

She nodded, and gritted her teeth as her body quivered again.

"See? Nothing to it."

Dewpaw was perched at the queens haunches, ready for the first kit.

Thistlenose had her paws on Thornfur's belly. "Alright, you ready, Dewpaw? Here comes the first one. Don't worry Thornfur, it'll be over soon."

There was another spasm, then a small lump plopped onto the moss. Dewpaw licked the lump furiously, rubbing it's fur the wrong way to get the blood going. The kit gave a small mew, and Thornfur sighed.

"It's breathing," reported Dewpaw. "Well... he's breathing." She placed the kit at his mother's belly, where he immediately began to suckle.

"Ah!" cried Thornfur, her body shaking with yet another contraction. The tom squeaked in annoyance as his meal was disturbed by the sudden shaking of his mother.

There was another plopping noise and Dewpaw began to lick another lump, the same way as before. She placed the kit by it's littermate, mewing, "Another tom."

_Two toms..._ Streakpaw couldn't shake the feeling that it was no coincidence that Cherrycloud had lost two toms, and now Thornfur had gained two. _If she gives birth to a she-cat, then it's definitely _no_ coincidence._

"I-is it over yet?" moaned Thornfur through gritted teeth. "I... I don't think I can take anymore..."

"Only one more to go," Thistlenose mewed, moving her paws around on the queens belly.

"Don't worry," Hailstorm reassured in his mate's ear. "You're doing fine."

With one last shake, and one last wail, the third and final kit plopped out onto the moss. Dewpaw got the kit's blood going, and placed it at it's mother belly. Streakpaw found he was holding his breath, waiting for the gender of the tiny kit.

"A she-cat," announced Dewpaw. "Two toms and a healthy she-cat."

Silence followed as the others realized what had just transpired. Hailstorm was the only one who didn't, oblivious to the news about Cherrycloud's kits.

"They're beautiful!" he purred. He nosed his mate's head. "Well done, dear." His blue eyes shone.

Thornfur snapped out of her trance and stared at her kits. "Oh my... they... they are." Her eyes sparkled with pride.

"What will you name them?" asked Thistlenose, who tried to recover the awkward silence after the announcement of the last kits gender.

"Uh..." the queen seemed genuinely stumped. She looked a black-and-white tom. "How about... Spotkit?"

"That's a good one," agreed Hailstorm. He gestured with his nose to a brown tom. "And this one can be Birchkit."

"I like that name," commented Dewpaw.

"And the third?" asked Streakpaw. He was anxious to hear what they decided to call her.

"Well," mewed Hailstorm. He gazed at his tiny white daughter. "Uh..."

"Mistkit," blurted Thornfur.

The other cats stared at her. Streakpaw's own mouth was agape.

"Mistkit?" repeated Thistlenose.

"Yes," the queen mewed firmly. "She'll be known as Mistkit."

"Well... Those are good names," meowed Thistlenose. She glanced at her apprentice. "Come along, Dewpaw."

The medicine cats picked up their leftover herbs and exited the den.

Streakpaw watched them go, then turned back to Thornfur, who was cooing over one of the kits, who had just squeaked.

"Uh, Thornfur?" The queen and her mate turned to look at him. Streakpaw shuffled his paws. "Would you like something to eat?"

"That would be lovely," purred Thornfur.

Hailstorm nodded, his eyes shining in gratitude. "Thanks, Streakpaw.

"No problem," he mewed, dipping his head. Then he padded out of the den, towards the fresh kill pile.

_Mistkit, _ he thought, as he picked up a rabbit for the new parents to share. He couldn't help but look around the slightly misty camp, then up at the mister sky. _That's just uncanny._


	8. Forlorn

The Mist

Chapter 6: Forlorn

Cloudlight pounced, her whiskers pressing against her face. She landed on top of the mouse, and it squeaked in fear. She killed it with a swift bite to the neck, watching it as it went limp. Her stomach growled as she sunk her teeth into its flesh.

Antsratch purred as she picked up her catch and padded back to the rest of the hunting patrol. "A little hungry, are we?"

Cloudlight put the mouse on top of Antscratch's catch, a skinny rabbit. "You heard?"

His eyes twinkled. "That rumble probably scared every bit of prey from here to the Island."

The white she-cat couldn't help purring. "I suppose so. I haven't eaten anything since..." She trailed off, her purr lodging in her throat.

"...since you found Bloodclaw," Antscratch finished, nodding. "I know." He looked at her sympathetically. "It must have been hard, seeing a cat so torn apart."

_Literally._ "Yeah..." Not wanting to sound weak, Cloudlight added, "But I'll cope."

"I hope so. It's upsetting to see you so forlorn."

"It's just the weather," Cloudlight reassured. "It's getting into my fur, y'know?"

Antscratch nodded. "Indeed. Well," he mewed, flicking his tail over the prey, "should we head back to camp?"

"Good idea," meowed Cloudlight. She picked up her catch, and Antscratch picked up the rabbit. The two padded back to camp, Antscratch leading the way.

They entered the camp, finding the apprentices tussling outside the apprentice den, and Mouseheart sorting herbs outside, getting rid of the old and rotten plants.

Cloudlight and Antscratch deposited their catches on the fresh-kill pile. Antscratch yawned. "Well, I know where I'm going to be for awhile... asleep!" He padded off to the warriors den, calling over his shoulder, "See you later, Cloudlight!"

"Bye," replied Cloudlight. She watched him go then, with a sigh, padded towards the apprentices.

"Bumblepaw!" she meowed, and the apprentice jumped at the sound of his name, his eyes wide with horror. He relaxed when he recognized Cloudlight.

She made a mental note to ask Mouseheart about herbs to soothe the poor apprentice. "Do you know where Robinheart is?"

The apprentice blinked. "Uh... no. Did you try the warriors den?"

"Oh, no. Thanks for the suggestion though," she mewed, turning to head back to the warriors den.

"No problem." He continued to play fight with Fennelpaw.

Cloudlight reached the warriors den and poked her head inside. "Hey, uh, is Robinheart here?"

Antscratch was sound asleep and didn't hear her, but Rockwind did.

"No, she's not here," he rumbled, raising his head. He cocked his head to one side. "Wasn't she training Bumblepaw today?"

"Bumblepaw said he didn't see her."

Rockwind sniffed the air. "It's pretty late, isn't it?"

"Well past sunset, yes," mewed Cloudlight. "Why?"

"Perhaps she's on a patrol." The bulky grey tom yawned. Cloudlight could see his razor sharp teeth, well honed from battle... and plenty of prey. "The dusk patrol has yet to return."

"Really? Thanks, Rockwind," Cloudlight meowed.

He nodded and buried his nose under a paw, falling quickly back into his peaceful slumber.

Cloudlight backed out of the warriors den, sniffing the air. How Rockwind could figure out what time it was just by scent was beyond her; she could barely smell even the trees above her head!

She heard mews by the thorn barrier. _The dusk patrol_. She watched as they returned, slowly, tired and hungry.

Hawkfire was just padding out of the warriors den, up on top of the ledge. She waited for him to reach the bottom before hurrying over.

"Oh, hi, Cloudlight," the brown tom meowed. His eyes narrowed. "Can I help you at all? You look worried."

"I am." She researched the faces of the dusk patrol. "I can't find Robinheart anywhere. It seems as though no one's seen her."

"She was with us," mewed her brother, Sparrowpelt, padding up to them at the mention of his sisters name. "She was hunting a rabbit, and told us to go on ahead without her." He looked worried. "We came back here, hoping she'd be here but..." He looked around the camp. "...but she's not here yet, is she?"

"Afraid not," replied Cloudlight.

"Why don't you two go looking for her?" suggested Hawkfire. "There's a slight chance she might have gotten lost in this mist. Especially with a rabbit in her jaws; something like that could totally blot out her senses."

Cloudlight nodded. "Good idea. Sparrowpelt, will you come with me?"

"Of course!" he meowed.

"Alright, let's go, then." She lead the way out of the thorn barrier at a sprint, feeling Sparrowpelt's thundering paws right behind her.

They slowly came to a standstill in the middle of the forest. Scenting the air, Cloudlight picked up her friend's scent. She turned to Sparrowpelt. "Follow me."

He nodded, and Cloudlight tracked her scent to a tree.

"The scent stops here," she mewed. Her eyes narrowed. "But what rabbit climbs trees?"

Sparrowpelt gasped, then growled, "That rabbit."

Cloudlight turned to face her companion. "What rabbit?"

With a tight tail, he pointed up into the branches of the tree.

Cloudlight felt like vomiting.

On a tree branch, smashed, eaten, and bloodied, was a rabbit.

What little meat it had left clung to the bark. Tufts of fur were stuck to the branch all the way from the end to where the rabbit was now. The large branch went right through the rabbits stomach, which was cracked open like a nutshell for all the world to see. It's eyes (or what was left of them) were dull and lifeless, rolled back into the skull. It's ears were torn off; it was also missing it's legs.

Cloudlight couldn't take it anymore; she retched into the bushes.

"That's revolting," growled Sparrowpelt.

Cloudlight glared at him, her empty stomach heaving at the stench of her vomit. "I can't help it... when you see something like that..."

"I didn't mean that," he mewed. "I meant the rabbit."

"Oh."

The two stared at the rabbit in silence, before Cloudlight was snapped back into reality by a faint moan.

She slowly turned to look at Sparrowpelt. "Please tell me that was your stomach." Her voice was close to a beg.

"You heard it too?" he gasped.

The two went silent and listened for awhile longer.

Many rapid heartbeats later, Cloudlight detected the moan again.

She whipped around to face Sparrowpelt. The tom's eyes were as wide as the full moon.

"Robinheart," they meowed simultaneously.

They raced off in the direction they heard the moaning, towards the abandoned Twoleg nest. Grass was torn from the roots by their claws, flinging behind them, making the mist swirl around to fill the holes they had created in it's impenetrable white wall. They screeched to a halt, sending up pine needles and ancient, crusty leaves from last leaf-fall that hadn't yet been blown away by the wind.

Sparrowpelt was looking around anxiously, his whiskers whipping against his face he was moving his head so fast. "Do you see her?"

Cloudlight took the scene in; the mist was twirling around the broken down parts of the Twoleg nest. The shadows of twilight were setting in, making the nest look like a crouching monster, prepared to pounce and gobble the cats whole. Cloudlight shuddered and continued to scope the area.

The leaves that were still here were piled into large lumps, most of them pressing against the structure of the nest from the winds off the lake. Mousehearts small catnip supply, one that had been here since ThunderClan had first come to this place, was distinguishable only by the fact he kept the stems clear of any debris or old leaves, to keep them healthy and strong. They looked odd in the twilight; they were mysterious looking, as if StarClan had planted them there as part of some mystical prophecy that they were so keen on giving the living. She shook her head and focused, her eyes picking up a trail from the plants to where they were standing.

There was something shining in front of her, reflecting what little light the area had to offer.

"Hey, Sparrowpelt," Cloudlight called. The tom had gone sniffed a little ways away. He padded over. "Take a look at this."

He bent over and sniffed the shiny thing. He shot backwards a few tail lengths and hissed, his neck fur rising.

"What is it?" Cloudlight asked, her eyes wide with alarm.

"Blood," he growled. He stopped growling, his fur lying flat, something clicking inside his head. "Oh no!" he meowed. "What if it's Robinheart's blood?"

Cloudlight bristled. "We'll have to find out. Come on, maybe there's a trail or something." She brushed the leaves away with a paw, revealing a large, but thin layered, streak of blood. It lead in the direction of the largest opening in the Twoleg nest.

The white she-cat's ears twitched; she had heard another moan. It was faint this time.

"Robinheart!" Sparrowpelt yowled. He had begun to dig furiously in a pile of leaves near the wall of the nest, sending flakes of broken leaves and even whole ones still intact everywhere.

Rather than trying to calm the brown tom down, Cloudlight continued to carefully brush the leaves away from the blood trail, making sure not to stain her golden paws with blood. A few tail lengths away from the first spatter, there was a second, thinner this time, and less noticeable, as it was under the shadow of the Twoleg nest.

It too, went in the direction of the largest hole in the nest.

Cautiously, not alerting Sparrowpelt should he get excited and race inside to his death, Cloudlight sniffed the area around the hole. It spelled vile, like a carcass sprayed by a skunk, and then marked by a ShadowClan cat. It was all she could do to not throw up again.

Even more cautiously, she padded inside, softly calling out, "Robinheart? Are you in-"

She tripped over something, landing on the ground with an _oomph._ The air gushed out of her lungs, and Cloudlight paused a moment to catch her breath. She shakily stood, turning to see what she had tripped over. She gasped when she saw what it was.

_Who_ it was.


	9. Injuries

The Mist

Chapter 7: Injuries

"Robinheart!" gasped Cloudlight. She bent down to examine her friend. She placed her paws on Robinheart's chest. Her heart was still beating, much to Cloudlight's relief. "Are you alright?" she couldn't help asking. She already knew the answer, after all.

Robinheart's left ear was torn in half, the of it gone. She had sustained many blows to her sides and belly; cuts seeped with blood, others with faint traces of pus. Her one eye was swollen shut, as if a swarm of bees had stung it; it had a heart beat of it's own, based on what Cloudlight could see of it's pulsing figure in the gloom. Many of Robinheart's whiskers were sliced in half or gone, as if she had just barely avoided the claws of whatever attacked her. Her one good eye was shut, making her assume a position of sleep.

Or death.

"Sparrowpelt!" yowled Cloudlight. "I found Robinheart!"

She heard him thunder through the leaves, their crunching sound overpowering in the sudden silence. Not a bird chirped, nor a cricket sang.

It was eerie.

"You found her?" The brown tom, now just a shadow in the gloom, padded over, his eyes reflecting the faint moonlight. They were shining happily. "I can't tell, is she okay?"

"No, she's not. She's hurt pretty bad," reported Cloudlight. "She's got cuts all down her sides, her one eye's swollen, and I think pus is starting to gather in some of the cuts."

"Oh, my poor sister," whispered Sparrowpelt. His eyes dulled in sadness. "What happened to you?"

Robinheart didn't say a word.

"Come on, help me get her back to camp," Cloudlight mewed quietly, breaking the silence.

Sparrowpelt nodded numbly and hefted Robinheart onto his shoulders. Cloudlight followed suit, and felt the odd sensation that she had done this sort of thing before.

_Oh, I remember now. When I carried the body of Bloodclaw._

-

When they reached the camp, after much confusion and meetings with the cold water of the lake, the two cats carried Robinheart straight into the medicine den.  
>She heard Mouseheart stir in his nest. "Sparrowpelt? Is that you?"<p>

"Yes," his brother answered. He slowly lowered Robinheart into a nest of moss, and Cloudlight guided her friend's rear end into the nest carefully, finally letting it rest in a position that assumed sleep.

Mouseheart stretched and rose, padding to stand near Robinheart. He wrinkled his nose at the smell of blood. "Who is this unfortunate you've brought me?"

"Robinheart," Sparrowpelt rasped. "Our little sister."

Even in the dark of the den, Cloudlight could see the look of horror on the medicine cat's face. It was the look of a cat who'd lost their best friend, the look of a mother who had just lost her kits.

The look one gets when loosing a littermate.

"Great StarClan," murmured Mouseheart. It didn't sound like a curse to Cloudlight. It sounded like a prayer. Mouseheart looked at his brother, then at Cloudlight, then back at Sparrowpelt. "Where did you find her? How did this happen?"

"She was in the abandoned Twoleg nest," Cloudlight mewed softly, afraid of waking any Clanmates. _How would I explain to them about what happened to Robinheart?_ "But I don't know what happened." Remembering the stench around the nest, Cloudlight added, "There was a mysterious smell. I didn't know what it was."

"What did it smell like?" Mouseheart asked.

"Carrion sprayed on by a skunk," Cloudlight mewed. She thought a moment then added, "And then marked by ShadowClan."

"Yuck," spat Sparrowpelt.

"I'll say," agreed Mouseheart. He sniffed his sisters wounds, carefully examining their stage. "These wounds are fresh," he stated. "Just barely a few hours old." He glanced outside the den, then back at Robinheart. "They were extremely recent by the time you found her."

Sparrowpelt's eyes widened. "You mean... we were just moments behind..."

"...whatever attacked Robinheart," Mouseheart meowed gravely.

-

Cloudlight paced outside the medicine den, her mind whirling. _Whatever had attacked Robinheart reached her just before we did._ She stopped pacing. _D-does that mean... we could have been next to die?_

As the disturbing thought settled in, Sparrowpelt poked his head out of the den. "Cloudlight, she's awake."

Cloudlight stopped pacing and nodded, hurrying into the den.

Robinheart turned to face her friend, her eyes shut. Her ears twitched. "Cloudlight? Is that you?"

The white she-cat nodded, forgetting her friend couldn't see her.

"Yes, it's her." Sparrowpelt licked his sister between the ears. "I'm so glad you're okay."

She nodded, then groaned in pain with the effort. "Oww..."

"Hush," Mouseheart soothed. He placed a wad of moss on her neck. "Better?"

"Yeah, nice and cold. Thanks."

Cloudlight sat down and shuffled her paws anxiously. "So, Robinheart, do you..."

Robinheart's ears swivelled to face her. "I know what you're going to ask, Cloudlight," the brown she-cat sighed. "And I'll tell you the same thing I told my brothers... I don't remember anything."

"Nothing at all?" asked Cloudlight. She was rather disappointed... maybe her friend had seen something that could help them figure out what was in this mist.

Robinheart shook her head slowly.

"You'll tell us if you do, right?" Sparrowpelt asked.

She bristled. "Of course!"

Mouseheart purred. "It's good to have you back, Robinheart."


End file.
